}p^' 



EVERTT MA.N 



HIS OWN 



PAINTER 

TT"^^^ or, 

OILMAN'S GUIDE 



TO 

House Painting and Graining, in Oil and Water Colors, En- 
ameling, Kalsomining, Varnishing, Whitewashing, 
cij Carriage Painting, Striping and Ornamenting, 

IN PLAIN ENGLISH. 

IT ALSO CO-NTAIXS IXSTRUCTIOXS IX LANDSCAPE PAINT- 
ING, AND THE ART OF '1;RANSFE1UNG, OR 
DECALCOMANIA. 

BY ANSON GILMAN, 



I 






1 



d) 



cT) 



P 



/ Fb 




(.yj LEWISTON, ME. C> 

fP PRINTED BY GEO. A. CALLAHAN. VA 



ir«^vl 



/ 



EVERY IVl^lSr 

HIS OWN 

PAINTER; 

OR, 

OILMAN'S GUIDE 

TO 

House Painting and Graining, in Oil and Water Colors, En- 
ameling, Kalsomining, Varnishing, Whitewashing, 
Carriage Painting, Striping and Ornamenting, 

IN PLAIN ENGLISH. 

IT ALSO CONTAINS INSTRUCTIONS IN LANDSCAPE PAINT- 
ING, AND THE ART OF TRANSFEKING, OR 
DECALCOMANIA. 

BY ANSON OILMAN, 

LEWISTON, ME. 




IMT/r 



LEWISTON, ME. 

PRINTED BY GEO. A. CALLAHAN. 

1871. 






EVERY MAN 



HIS OWX 



PAINTER. 



In placing this little work before the pub- 
lic, I have the greatest confidence that thous- 
ands will be benefited b\^ it. How often do 
we hear the remark, '*I could do my own 
painting, if I only knew how to mix my 
paints." This work is designed to be a sure 
remedy for all such complaints. 

In the first place, I have endeavored to 
write out the different receipts as plainly as 
possible, so that they can be easily under- 



stood by eveiy one. And in the next place, 
I have endeavored to give practical receipts. 
Having had fifteen 3'ears experience in the 
painting bnsiness, I can safely predict that 
this work will be a great benefit to those who 
want to save money by doing their own 
painting ; and that it is worth more than ten 
times its cost, in any family. 

In order to do a good job of painting, two 
things are necessary. First, to have good, 
well-mixed paints and good brushes ; and sec- 
ondly, to have the work in good condition to 
receive the paints. It is just as absurd for a 
person to undertake to do a good job of 
painting with half-mixed paints, as for a 
farmer to undertake to chop his wood with a 
meat-ax. To insure success be sure to have 
your paint thoroughly mixed, your work well 
dried, and the knots and pitchy places well 
covered with shellac varnish. The great chief 
cause of paint scaling off from the outside of 



so many buildings is that the wood-work is 
damp when the paints are applied. Spruce 
chipboards also require a very thin coat the 
first time or it is almost sure to scale. 

After the foregoing precaution let us pro- 
ceed to prepare the groundwork. If the wood 
is pitchy or knotty, those parts are to be 
sized. The best sizing is composed of gum 
shellac and alcohol, which is prepared by dis- 
solving four ozs. of gum shellac in one quart 
of alcohol, and subjecting the whole to a mod- 
erate heat. When the shellac is all dissolved 
apply with care to the knots, and such other 
parts as need it. After the size is dry, which 
is very soon afier it is applied, proceed 
with 3^our first coat or priming, which should 
be very thin, and for which you will find re- 
ceipts for mixing on page 7. After the 
first coat is thoroughly dry, fill the nail heads 
and rough places with putt3\ Sandpaper 
the w^ork well with Xo. 1 1-2 or No. 2 sandpa- 



6 

per, (lust well and you are ready to proceed 
with the second coat. 

To prepare White Paint for Outside Work. 

In preparing white paint for outside work, 
care should be taken to select a pure finely 
ground lead. Mix thoroughly with pui-e 
raw linseed oil, in proportion to three gal- 
lons of oil to fifty pounds of lead. 

Brushes. 
A good brush well rei)a3's the extra cost. 

For common painting I have found D. White 

& Son's Okatka Paste Brush, Nos. 2 or 3 ; 

the most convenient as its width corresponds 

better with either clapboard or casing. 

The Weather. 
Should the weather be unfavorable, a small 
quantity of light japan may be added to out- 
side paints ; but the better way is to wait un- 
til the weather is fair, and then go for it in 
good earnest. 



Painting in Colors for Outside Work. 
Priming. 
To prepare the lirst coat or priming for 

outside, mix white lead and raw linseed oil, 

in proportion of twenty-flve pounds of lead 

to two gallons of oil. Mix colors equally 

thin. For inside use a very little spirits of 

Turpentine and japan. 

Buff. 
A nice soft buff is made by mixing eight 

pounds of French Yellow with fifty pounds 
of White Lead and four and one-half gal- 
ions of raw Linseed Oil. Paint two coats, 
and you have a beautiful soft shade and a 
durable paint. 

Salmon Color. 
This is a very fashionable color, and is 
produced by adding one pound of Venetian 
Red to the above receipt. 

riesh Color. 
Mix White Lead and raw Liuseed Oil to 



the proper thickness for painting. Then 
grind Venetian Red in oil or spirits of Tur- 
pentine, and add in small quantities until you 
get the shade required. You can vary the 
shade to suit your fancy by using more or 
less of the red. This is a very pretty color, 
and looks well with brown trimmings. 

Cream Color. 
Mix your white paint as before ; add a lit- 
tle Chrome Yellow, finely ground, stir thor- 
oughly, and then add a small quantity of Ver- 
million. This is a veiy delicate color, but is 
more liable to fade than the others. 

Straw Color. 
To produce a beautiful straw color, stain 
your white paint with Chrome Yellow, ground 
very fine, in Oil or spirits of Turpentine. 

A Beautiful Grey. 
A most beautiful grey is obtained by add- 
iu<; a little raw Umber to white paint. Have 



the Umber finely ground in Boiled Oil or 
spirits of Turpentine, and add a little at a 
time until you get a nice soft grey. 

French (rrey. 
After preparing your white paint add a 
small quantity of Prussian Blue and a little 
Vermillion. This color is apt to fade if used 

outside. 

Drab. 
Raw and burnt Umber ground fine, with a 

small cjuantity of Venetian Red, and mixed 

with white paint, makes a beautiful drab. 

Purple. 
To produce a nice purple, stain j^our white 

paint with finely ground Prussian Blue and 

Vermillion. 

Blue. 
Grind Prussian Blue in boiled oil or spir- 
its of Turpentine, and add to white lead, and 
you can get any shade of blue required. 

Pawn Color. 
Grind raw and burnt Sienna very fine, and 



10 

add a small quantity to your white paint, and 
you Avill get a splendid fawn color. 

Stone Color 
Is composed of white paint, with a little raw 
Umber and Yellow Ochre added. 

Lead Color. 
To produce a lead color, grind Lampblack 
very fine in spirits of Turpentine and add to 
your white paint in small quantities until you 
get the required shade. 

Chocolate. 
To produce a chocolate color, grind lamp- 
.lack and Venetian Red, and add to white 
paint in small quantities. 

Common Red. 
Mix Venetian Red with raw oil for outside 
work, and add a little white lead if too dark. 

Freestone Color. 
This is a mixture of Venetian Red, French 
Yellow, white lead and lampblack. You will 



11 

hiive to grind them together and use care in 
mixing. The yelloAv lightens and the lamp- 
black darkens it. 

Green. 

By grinding Prussian Blue and Chrome 
Yellow separatel}^ in boiled oil and mixing 
them together, you can get any shade of 
green required. 

Light Green. 

xl great variety of light greens can be ob- 
tained by mixing Prussian Blue and Chrome 
Yellow with white lead. 

Bronze Green. 

A very pretty bronze green is produced by 
addins: a little burnt Umber ground find to 
^recn. 

Grass Green. 

Mix yellow and Verdigris, or one pound of 
Verdigris with two pounds of white lead. 



12 

luvisible Green 

Is composed of French Yellow and lamp- 
black mixed with boiled oil and spirits of 
Turpentine. 

Dark Yellow. 

Mix a little red lead or Venetian Red with 
French Yellow. 

Light Yellow. 

Light Yellow is obtained by mixing white 
lead with French Yellow. 

Gold Color. 

To get a gold color, mix a small quantity 
of Orange Chrome with Chrome Yellow, and 
add a little white lead. 

Common Yellow for Floors. 

Mix French Yellow with four parts raw 
linseed oil, two parts best japan and one part 
spirits of Tui-pentine. 



For Inside Work. 

For inside work that is to be left without 
graining or varnishing, use three parts raw 
linseed oil, two parts best japan, and one 
part spirits of Turpentinewith lead or colors. 

To prepare groundwork for Graining. 

For all light graining, have 3'our ground- 
Avork straw color, varj'ing the shade light or 
dark to correspond with the shade you want 
your graining, and mix with spirits of Tur- 
pentine and a very little japan. 

A groiind^vork for Mabogany 

Is made of white leid, French Yellow and 
Venetian Red, mixed so as to form a deep 
salmon color. 

Black Walnut Ground. 

For a walnut ground mix white lead with 
raw Umber and burnt Sienna until you get 
a deep reddish yellow. 



14 

Enameling. 

Give the surface to be enameled three 
coats of pure white lead mixed with white 
sprits of Turpentine and a ver}- little enamel 
liquid. Sandpaper the work smooth between 
each coat, and have the work and room well 
dusted. When the last coat is dry put on 
the enamel, which is made by mixing four 
pounds of enamel white Avith one gallon of 
enamel liquid. Have the room closed and 
kept at an even temperature when applying. 
I Give the work two coats. 

To Grain Oak in Water Colors. 

Grind together equal parts of raw^ Sienna 
• and raw Umber in strong vinegar ; then with 
a sponge moistened with vinegar, rub a little 
of the color on the work to be grained, using 
care to have the color even and smooth. 
Have ready some graining combs made of 



15 

rubber belting, and a small piece of rubber 
one by one and a half inches square. As 
soon as the color is applied take the square 
rubber and rub out the coarse grains. Then 
draw your graining comb so to compare with 
the coarse grain. Then blend the coarse 
grain lengthwise, and the fine grains at an 
angle of forty-five degrees with a badger, 
or camel's hair blender. It will help you 
very much to have a piece of oak board to 
copy from until you get learned. 

To Grain Oak in Oil Colors. 

The ground should have a little more gloss 
for oil graining, which you can get by adding 
a little more japan to your groundwork. 

Then mix and grind very fine in boiled oil 
raw Umber and raw sienna. Dissolve a 
small piece of beeswax in spirits of Turpen- 
tine, and add to your graining color to make 
it stand the comb. Apply a thin coat of the 



16 

color with a brush partly worn. Then with 
a piece of cotton cloth drawn over the end of 
the thumb, wipe out the coarse grains or 
heart, and with 3'our combs put in the fine 
grains. 

A piece of cork is also very nseful in 
wiping out grains, both in water and oil col- 
ors. 

To Grain Black Walnut. 

To strain black walnut in oil or water col- 
ors, have your groundwork and graining col- 
ors darker than for oak by using more Um- 
ber and a little Vand^'ke brown, and proceed 
about the same as with oak, only the grains 
should be less prominent, and can be made 
with a short stiff overgrainer instead of 
combs. The graining color is Burnt Umber. 

Curly Maple. 

The groundwork is a light straw color, and 
the graining color is one part raw Sienna, and 



Uvo parts raw Umber well ground in vinegar. 
Then with a sponge put on a light coat of the 
color. Now take a short bristled flat brush 
and carry it from one end of your work to the 
other with a short jumping motion, and blend 
crosswise the grain. When it is dry have an 
overgrainer filled with some of the same color, 
very thin, and pass over the work lightly 
with a wavy motion of the hand, and blend 
crosswise quickly. 

Birdseye Maple. 

The groundwork and colors for graining 
are the same as for curly maple. Put the 
graining color on the same way, and roll your 
sponge from one end of the work to the other. 
Then with the ends of your fingers strike light- 
ly on the work in different places, making the 
eyes. When this is done, blend lightly cor- 
nerwise the work. As soon as it is dry 
enough, top grain as for curly maple, and var- 
nish when dry. 



18 

To Grain Chestnut. 

To grain chestnut, proceed about the same 
as with oak, with the exception of blending 
the grain. It should also be gi-ained a little 
coarser. 

Yellow Birch. 

Prepare a buff ground, and put on a grain- 
ing color composed of two parts raw Sienna 
and one part burnt Umber. Have ready an- 
other dish of colors, composed of .one part 
raw Sienna and two parts burnt Umber. Then 
with a separate sponge partly filled with the 
last color, and before the first is dry, pass 
over the first near the edges in an off-hand 
manner, as you see the dark streaks in a 
birch board, and blend quickly, crosswise 
the work. 

Mahogany. 

The groundwork for mahogany is a light 
salmon color, and the graining colors are 



19 

burnt Sienna and Vandyke Brown each mixed 
in a separate dish. Pass over the work with 
a coat of burnt Sienna. Then put on the 
Vandyke Brown where you want the branch 
to show. Now roll your sponge over the 
dark or branch part, then lay the edge of the 
sponge on the center of the branch and bring 
it to the bottom with a slight curve outward 
at starting. Proceed the same way the whole 
length of the branch, and so on to the edge. 
Blend from the center of the branch outw^ard 
and crosswise. Graining should have a good 
coat of coach varnish. 

To Imitate Rosewood. 

This requires a brilliant ground, prepared 
from Vermillion Lake and white lead. For 
graining, grind Vandyke Brown thick in 
vinegar. The graining must be put on in a 
peculiar way, so as to imitate the remarkable 
grain of the wood. The light and dark 



20 

patches, veins, knots, &c. are produced with 
an overgrainer filled with Red Umber, w-ith 
a careful attention to the distinctive char- 
acter and peculiar grain of the w^ood. 

To Imitate Granite. 

Paint your work a light lead color. Then 
with a brush partly filled with thick black 
paint, strike against a hammer handle or iron 
rod, in such a manner as to spatter the 
groundwork, and go through the same per- 
formance with white paint. Other shades 
can be used, if desired, in the same manner. 

Marbling. 

To imitate light colored marble, paint your 
groimdwork white, and stain in patches wath 
a light grey. For veiniug, use raw Umber 
and lampblack, ground separately. Take a 
feather and dip lightly in the Umber, and 
draw it cornerw^ise, at intervals, across the 
w^ork. Proceed the same with the black. 



21 



very lightly. Then spatter on it spots of 
black and Umber, as in graniting, and with 
your blender, blend across the veins. Other 
light colors can be used for the grounds, and 
you can substitute a variety of colors for the 
veining with good effect. 

Egyptian Marble. 

The groundwork is black, and when pre- 
pared, put on a few patches of yellowy white 
and drab, intermingling them as much as 
possible. Then with a striping brush, draw 
a few veins from the edge to the larger veins 
or patches with the same colors. 

Carriage Painting. 

Have the work rubbed smooth and well 
dusted. For priming, give two coats of lead 
color, and rub smooth with fine sandpaper. 
Dust well, and proceed to put on any color 
you choose, two coats, ground very thick in 
boiled oil and thinned down with spirits of 



22 

Turpentine so as to make a dead flat. When 
perfectly hard proceed to stripe. 

Striping. 

Select any color you choose for striping, 
except black, and grind very fine in boiled 
oil. Colors ground in boiled oil flow more 
evenly from the striper than any way of mix- 
ing I have ever tried. Lampblack for strip- 
ing should be ground fine in spirits of Tur- 
pentine and japan with a very little boiled 
oil. For nice work, put on a light coat of 
varnish before striping. 

Varnishing. 

This is a very particular part of the work, 
and should be done in a warm room free from 
dust. Select a good wearing body coach var- 
nish and put it on good work with a badger 
or camel's hair brush. For coarser work, 
use a common oval tristle varnish brush. 



23 

Rubbing down Carriage and Sleigh Tops after 
the Priming is dry. 
Put on a thick coat of spruce or French 
Yellow mixed with spirits of Turpentine and 
a very little japan, when well dried rub down 
with a piece of pumice stone and clear water. 

To Paint Truck Wagons and Farming Tools. 

Mix white lead wdth three parts raw lin- 
seed oil, two parts japan and one part spirits 
of Turpentine, and color with Prussian Blue, 
or any other color you choose. 

To Paint Chairs« 

Common chairs should have the first coat 
mixed of Rosepink and spirits of Turpentine, 
with a little japan to set the color. When 
this is dry put on the black, mixed the same 
way, in patches as you see them on new 
chairs. 

For chairs and furniture that need graining, 
proceed as with other graining. 



24 

Bronze Ornaments for Furniture. 
Select the style of ornaments you want 
from other furniture. Make a piece of pa- 
per transparent by wetting it Avith spirits of 
Turpentine. When dry lay it over the or- 
nament you have selected, and with a pencil 
mark out the ornament on the paper, and 
with a sharp pointed knife cut out the figures. 
When the varnish on your furniture is near- 
ly dry, lay on your pattern, and with a piece 
of velvet tied over the end of a stick and 
dipped in bronze powder, proceed to dot 
over the places you have cut out, and when 
done take off the paper and you will find the 
bronze on the work to correspond with the 
figure cut out on the paper. 

Brilliant Whitewash. 
Slake one half bushel of lump lime in 
boiling water. Cover during the process to 
keep in the steam. Strain the liquid through 



25 

a fine sieve and add a peck of salt, well dis- 
solved in warm water, three pounds of rice, 
boiled to a thin paste and stirred in boiling 
hot, one-half pound of whiting, and one 
pound of white glue, well dissolved. Add 
five gallons of hot water, stir thoroughly and 
let it stand three or four days, covered from 
the dust. It should be put on quite hot. 
Coloring matter ma}^ be put in to make it 
any shade you like. 

Good Common "Whitewash 
Is made by slaking the lime as above, and 
adding one pound of white vitriol or two 
pounds of alum to each pailful. 

Landscape Painting. 
The first things to be procured is a light 
frame, and a piece of canvas the size you 
want your picture. Fasten the canvas to the 
frame by tacking the edges with small car- 
pet tacks, in such a manner that there shall 



20 

be no wrinkles in the canvas. When this is 
done size yonr canvas and give it a coat of 
bnfi-colored paint. When dry commence at 
the top to paint the sky, using Prussian Blue. 
Let the paint grow lighter as you work down 
toward the horizon, which should be a deep 
buff" tinged with red for sunset scenes' Mix 
your cloud color, which is a mixture of Lake, 
White and Blue, and put the clouds on in 
patches. Next comes the w^ater, which is a 
mixtm*e of Blue, Lumber and White, and 
should grow^darker as you advance to the bot- 
tom of the picture. For sail-boats in the dis- 
tance, put on two small patches of white, one 
nearly under the other, the lower one the 
smallest, and put a dark spot between them. 
For mountains, use Umber, yellow and white, 
making them smaller and lighter as they re- 
cede toward the horizon. The foreground is 
made of Green, Yellow, Umber and white, 
from which a great variety of shades can be 



27 

obtained. The foreground should be filled 
iu with trees, houses, fences, rocks, roads, 
&c. Paint the trunks and branches of trees 
Umber, and touch up with Yellow. The fo- 
liage with green and other colors that blend 
with it, by dipping the end of a small brush 
into color, and dotting the end against the 
picture where you want the leaves. Put in 
the houses and fences of most any color that 
will contrast. 



Decalcomania ; or Transferring. 
The art of transferring pictures and orna- 
ments is but very little understood, yet the 
process is very simple and cau be carried on 
by most any one, after a little practice. Pro- 
cure your transfer pictures and varnish of a 
picture dealer, and with a fine pencil brush 
put the varnish on the picture, being careful 
to touch every part of it. Then lay the pic- 



28 

ture on the place you design to have it. Let 
it remain a few minutes, and with a sponge 
moistened with clear water, wet the paper 
thoroughly that covers the picture. After it 
is well moistened, take hold of one corner of 
the paper and raise it up carefully and it will 
come off leaving the picture clear and nice. 

Sign Painting. 
To letter well requires considerable prac- 
tice. The better way for beginners is to ob- 
tain the style of letter you want from a print- 
ing office, and cut out patterns. Mark out 
the letters on the board, and proceed to paint 
in with any color you choose. When the 
letters are dry lay on your pattern again, and 
slide three-fourths of an inch to the right or 
left, and down or up about the same: Then 
mark out the shade and paint with another 
color, and you will get a perfect shaded let- 
ter. 



29 

G-ilding. 
For putting on gold leaf, grind a little 
Chrome Yellow in fatted oil, and paint over 
the letter as before. Then open the book 
which contains the leaf, and gently press the 
leaf on to the work, using care to have the 
sizing set, so that the leaf will stick ; or put 
it on with a velvet covered roller, and brush 
off clean with a soft hair brush. 



Kalsomining. 

The art of Kalsomining is very little under- 
stood in the country, yet is very simple, and 
the kalsomine can be prepared and applied 
almost as easily as whitewash. 

Take six pounds of Paris White and dis- 
solve in hot water to the consistency of 
thick milk. Dissolve one-half pound of 
white glue and add while hot, then apply 
with a good flat brush. Go over the work 



30 

with a secoud coat, crosswise, as soon as the 
first coat is perfectly dry. 

Black Walnut Stain. 
For staining bhick wahuit, dissolve Gum 
Asphaltum in spirits of Turpentine by setting 
the dish in a warm place, and apply to the 
bare wood with a common brush. 




IIS^DEX 



Briishe'sselection of - - - - 6 

Buff Color, " ■ " ° ° ■ o 

Blue, "■■■"'■ n 

Bronze Green, |^ 

Black Walnut grouud, - • - - 16 

Black Walnnt, to grain, - - - - lb 

Birdseye Maple, to gram, - - " M 

Bronze, to ornament with, - - - - ^* 

Colors for outside, ' ' ' ' I 

Cream Color, - - " " " ^ 

Chocolate, ■ - " ■ " • ir 

Curly Maple, to grain, - - - - i^> 

Chestmit, to grain, ' ' ' ' oa 

Carriage Painting, * .V " " " r,i 

Chairs and Furniture, to pamt, - - - J6 

Drab Color, to paint, - - - - ^^^ 

Decalcomania, the art of, - - ' 7,i 

Egyptian Marble, - - - ' ' u 

Enameling, - " " ' " ^* 

Flesh Color, - - " ' " ' ^ 

French Grey, - - " " ' . i a 
Freestone Color, ----- i'J 

Farming Tools, to paint, - - -^ 

Fawn Color, to paint, - - ' ' t 

Grey, a beautiful, - - - - " ii 

Green, - - " " " " .. 

Grass Green, - - - " ' \!^ 

Invisible Green, - - - ■ " }^ 

Gold Color, ^-^ 



3 -2 






Groundwork for Graining, - 


. 


- 13 


Granite, to Imitate, 


- 


20 


Gilding,' . - - - 


- 


- 29 


Light Green, 


- 


11 


Lead Color, -. - - - 


- 


- 10 


Landscape Painting, 


- 


25 


Mahogany Ground, - 


- 


- 18 


Mahogany, to grain. 


- 


18 


Marble, to Imitate, - - - 


- 


- 20 


Oak, to grain in Water Colors, - 


- 


U 


Oak, to grain in Oil Colors, 


- 


- 15 


Purple, to paint, - - 


- 


9 


Paints for inside work, 


- 


- 13 


Preface, . - - - 


- 


3 


Remarks on Painting, 


- 


4. 5-, 6 


Red, a coramtai, 


- 


10 


Rosewood, to grain, - 


. 


. 19 


Rubbing down\:arriage and Sleigh 1 


'ops, 


23 


Shellac Size, how to make, 


. 


5 


Salmon Color, 


- 


7 


Straw Color, 


. 


8 


Stone Color, 


- 


10 


Striping, 


. 


- 22 


Sign Painting, 


. 


28 


White Paint for Outside, 


. 


- 6 


AVeather, remarks on the, 


. 


6 


Whitewash, a Brilliant, 


. 


- 24 


Whitewash, a good Common, 




25 


Yellow, Dark, - 


- 


. 12 


Yellow, Light, 




12 


Yellow for Floors, 


. 


- 12 


Yellow^ Birch, to grain, 


. 


18 


Varnishing, . . . . 


- 


- 22 


Kalsomining, 


- 


29 


Black Walnut Stain, - 


- 


- 13 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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